The Doctrine and Covenants

Section 68

Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Hiram, Ohio, November 1, 1831, in response to prayer that the mind of the Lord be made known concerning Orson Hyde, Luke S. Johnson, Lyman E. Johnson, and William E. McLellin. Although part of this revelation was directed toward these four men, much of the content pertains to the whole Church. This revelation was expanded under Joseph Smith’s direction when it was published in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.

1–5, The words of the elders when moved upon by the Holy Ghost are scripture; 6–12, Elders are to preach and baptize, and signs will follow true believers; 13–24, The firstborn among the sons of Aaron may serve as the Presiding Bishop (that is, hold the keys of presidency as a bishop) under the direction of the First Presidency; 25–28, Parents are commanded to teach the gospel to their children; 29–35, The Saints are to observe the Sabbath, labor diligently, and pray.

2 And, behold, and lo, this is an ensample unto all those who were ordained unto this priesthood, whose mission is appointed unto them to go forth—

3 And this is the aensample unto them, that they shall bspeak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost.

4 And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the aHoly Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the bpower of God unto salvation.

5 Behold, this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my servants.

6 Wherefore, be of good acheer, and do not bfear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I cwas, that I am, and that I am to come.

7 This is the word of the Lord unto you, my servant Orson Hyde, and also unto my servant Luke Johnson, and unto my servant Lyman Johnson, and unto my servant aWilliam E. McLellin, and unto all the faithful elders of my church—

9 And ahe that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be bdamned.

10 And he that believeth shall be blest with asigns following, even as it is written.

11 And unto you it shall be given to know the signs of the atimes, and the bsigns of the coming of the Son of Man;

12 And of as many as the Father shall bear record, to you shall be given power to aseal them up unto eternal life. Amen.

13 And now, concerning the items in addition to the acovenants and commandments, they are these—

14 There remain hereafter, in the due time of the Lord, other abishops to be set apart unto the bchurch, to minister even according to the first;

15 Wherefore they shall be ahigh priests who are worthy, and they shall be appointed by the bFirst Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood, except they be literal descendants of cAaron.

16 And if they be literal descendants of aAaron they have a legal right to the bishopric, if they are the bfirstborn among the sons of Aaron;

17 For the firstborn holds the right of the presidency over this priesthood, and the akeys or authority of the same.

18 No man has a legal right to this office, to hold the keys of this priesthood, except he be a aliteral descendant and the firstborn of Aaron.

19 But, as a ahigh priest of the Melchizedek Priesthood has authority to officiate in all the lesser offices he may officiate in the office of bbishop when no literal descendant of Aaron can be found, provided he is called and set apart and ordained unto this power, under the hands of the First Presidency of the Melchizedek Priesthood.

20 And a literal descendant of Aaron, also, must be designated by this Presidency, and found worthy, and aanointed, and ordained under the hands of this Presidency, otherwise they are not legally authorized to officiate in their priesthood.

21 But, by virtue of the decree concerning their right of the priesthood descending from father to son, they may claim their aanointing if at any time they can prove their lineage, or do ascertain it by revelation from the Lord under the bhands of the above named Presidency.

22 And again, no bishop or high priest who shall be set apart for this ministry shall be tried or acondemned for any crime, save it be before the bFirst Presidency of the church;

23 And inasmuch as he is found aguilty before this Presidency, by testimony that cannot be impeached, he shall be condemned;

25 And again, inasmuch as aparents have children in Zion, or in any of her bstakes which are organized, that cteach them not to understand the ddoctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eeight years old, the fsin be upon the heads of the parents.

26 For this shall be a law unto the ainhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized.

27 And their children shall be abaptized for the bremission of their sins when ceight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.

28 And they shall also ateach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.

29 And the inhabitants of Zion shall also observe the aSabbath day to keep it holy.

30 And the inhabitants of Zion also shall remember their alabors, inasmuch as they are appointed to labor, in all faithfulness; for the bidler shall be had in remembrance before the Lord.

31 Now, I, the Lord, am not well apleased with the inhabitants of Zion, for there are bidlers among them; and their cchildren are also growing up in dwickedness; they also eseek not earnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of fgreediness.

32 These things ought not to be, and must be done away from among them; wherefore, let my servant Oliver Cowdery acarry these sayings unto the land of Zion.

33 And a commandment I give unto them—that he that observeth not his aprayers before the Lord in the season thereof, let him be had in bremembrance before the judge of my people.